This study examined the extent to which HE is conceived as 'within the bounds of the possible' for non-participants and explored how attitudes to HE and decisions about non-participation are embedded within 'networks of intimacy' consisting of family members and close friends. It hypothesised that such networks provide a critical context within which individuals' thinking about participation is embedded. The research involved two overlapping and interacting parts: stage one (desk work) drew on existing large-scale survey data to develop a macro-level account of (non-)participation in the general population and a critique of the extant literature on educational decision-making. The implications of the emerging issues were explored in the qualitative study (stage two).This involved case studies of sixteen networks of intimacy. We identified non-participating adults at different stages in the life-course to provide 'entry points' to each network. Focusing on non-participants helped to generate evidence from networks with a spectrum of attitudes to and experience of HE, as well as from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. Each case study was conducted in two parts: an initial structured interview with each 'entry point' individual to determine educational and employment histories, household and family composition, and details of their self-defined network of intimacy, followed by semi-structured interviews with each of these individuals plus five or six members of their network who were identified as sources of influence in the decision-making process. The focus at the macro and micro levels on non-participants and on adults at various stages in the life-course make this research distinctive, as existing research has tended to focus on non-traditional participants, and applicants and on adults below the age of 30.